Reception
The campaign led to controversy in early 1986. A 15-year-old boy spotted Herb at the Burger King restaurant in Bessemer, Alabama and believed that he had won $5,000. Because he was under the age of 16, the minimum age for participating in the promotion, the prize money was given to the boy's older friend, who was with him at the time. Burger King defended their decision, stating that the restriction was intended to dissuade students from skipping school to search for Herb. The boy's parents complained to their representative in the Alabama State Senate. The matter was then brought before the full State Senate, which passed a resolution condemning Burger King's actions as "consumer fraud".
The World Wrestling Federation had Herb appear as a guest timekeeper during the boxing match between Roddy Piper and Mr. T at WrestleMania 2 at the Nassau Coliseum on April 7, 1986. Clara Peller, the star of the "Where's the beef?" commercials from Wendy's, also appeared at the event, working as guest timekeeper during a battle royal.
The promotion met with some positive reviews. Time called it "clever", and a columnist for the Chicago Tribune stated that Herb was "one of the most famous men in America". Ultimately, however, the Herb promotion has been described as a flop. The advertising campaign lasted three months before it was discontinued. One Burger King franchise owner stated that the problem was that "there was absolutely no relevant message". Although some initial results were positive, the mystique was lost after Herb's appearance was revealed during the Super Bowl. Burger King's profits fell 40% in 1986. As a result of the poorly-received campaign, Burger King dropped J. Walter Thompson from their future advertising. The US$200 million account was given to N. W. Ayer.
Other restaurants, including Wendy's, capitalized on the promotion by advertising that Herb ate at their locations. The opening sketch for the January 18, 1986, episode of Saturday Night Live featured Randy Quaid playing Herb during a press conference.
On his 1989 album Symphony in Effect, Canadian rapper Maestro Fresh Wes referenced the campaign in the track "Just Swingin'". The song contains the lyrics "I eat at Burger King 'cause I'm not Herb, and if your name happens to be Herb, just say 'I'm not the Herb you're looking for, word'".
Read more about this topic: Where's Herb?
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